MAGGIE Heads the Anatomy Department
“I have seen more dead bodies than the living, I had to embalm my best friend”
Your background?
” I am Maggie Moyo. I was born and brought up in Zimbabwe and did my primary and secondary schools right there. I came back in 1980 and went to Malamulo, where I got a Diploma in Lab Technology and graduated in 1982. I joined the Ministry of Health, which sent me to England in 1986 to study Histology, the study of human tissues. Three years later I returned with a Higher National Diploma in Sciences. And later took up a post with Ministry of Health at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital until 1994. That’s when I joined College of Medicine in the Department of Anatomy as Chief Technician. In 1997, I went to South Africa to study Anatomical Techniques (the study of normal human bodies) and here I am, today.
What exactly does your work involve?
My work involves embalming bodies. This is a process of preservation and sanitation of a dead human body, preserving it between the time of death and the time of disposal so that it doesn’t go bad. Sanitation is to kill all the living micro-organisms so that the body doesn’t spread diseases. If dead bodies are left lying around, they can transfer diseases to living people. Embalming is required by law because of these public health implications. That is basically what I do. So every morning when I come to the office, I find out if there are any bodies that I need to embalm and find out what time the bodies will be collected, I make phone calls to ensure that the coffins and clothes are here on time, so that I have enough time to prepare the body. I have three other people who help me in this whole process.
What does your family say about your job?
My mother was never keen about my job. She used to say that once people in the village learn that I work with dead people, they will think that I am a wizard. A lot other people thought the same way and some still do. But nowadays, she is very proud of my work because the bodies that I embalm go countrywide and many people approach her to say they are thankful for the work that I did to their relatives or colleagues. My two children don’t have much choice but to accept the nature of my job. I have a boy of 18 and a girl of 7, studying at Malawi College of Accountancy and St Andrews International School respectively.
How was your first experience in this job, considering that death is a natural cause of fear?
It is very true that death is scary. Every person is afraid of it, but with me it’s different. It is just like working with people that are insane, I got used to it right from the beginning such that when somebody dies, my main mission is simply to make sure they look their best. I don’t cry because if I do, then how would I be able to work? My business is to ensure that quality work is done on their bodies.
How does it feel embalming someone you knew well?
I have embalmed a lot of people that were close to me. A few months ago, I embalmed my only best friend, but you see, I had no choice but to do it because I wanted her to look her best and its part of my job.
After embalming, how long does it take for the body to decay?
The body is intact for several years. Eventually it does decay, but it is a clean process. If the body is not embalmed, it goes bad and you have worms all over it. Also, in the modern world of the Aids pandemic, people prefer the bodies embalmed so that they remain with a perfect picture of the deceased person, since when we embalm, the person looks very normal, as if they are just sleeping.
Is there special treatment for those who died with AIDS-related diseases, in order to protect yourself?
Treatment is the same for everyone, whether they died of AIDS or not. We put on protective clothes and all is all right, there is nothing to fear. There is no way one can get HIV from a dead person. Also everything is done in an isolated room. A lot of things happen because when doing our preparations, we use a pump that replaces all the body fluids with embalming fluid and during the process, things will come out from all openings and it’s not a very good sight for a layman.
What happens when a person was badly injured in an accident?
If a person died in an accident, I ask relatives to bring photographs of the deceased. I look at the photograph, imitate and then make another new face using POP (plaster of Paris), to make sure they look exactly how they were. The head is molded in such a way that during body viewing, people wouldn’t even notice that the person had lost a skull. In cases of such deaths that are caused by accidents, we usually get a lot of bodies and that means working overnight but we still try to make them look perfect. This process is called cosmetology.
What do people say about you, considering that this is not a common profession, let alone by a lady?
I get a lot direct and indirect comments from both women and men. Unfortunately, a lot of people think I am not human. I went to Shoprite recently and a number of people asked me why I was buying meat yet I work in the mortuary, so you can see that people think am not a human being, some think I am not normal. But the truth is, I am just like everybody else. I am doing this because it’s my work and I enjoy it. After all, I work with people that are cooperative. They don’t complain or argue with you.
Does your work affect your diet?
It does not, not at all. As soon as I finish embalming, that’s it. I don’t think about it anymore, I go home and do my things. In fact, you will find a lot of meat and drinks in my fridge. I also like baking a lot, so work is another thing and it doesn’t affect me in anyway.
One may wonder what keeps you in Malawi, when a lot of medical personnel are going out for greener pastures and your kind of work is likely to catch a fine package?
I am paying back and serving my people. It is the government of Malawi that sent me to school and so I have to contribute to my country. I get quite a lot of opportunities, most of them outside the country and well paying as well but I was trained by Malawi, not these other countries. Malawians have a right to be buried with dignity.
What’s your take on gender empowerment initiatives in Malawi?
I have never been involved in any of women empowerment initiatives or processes, but my personal view is that most men in Malawi do not appreciate the fact that women can do better in other areas than them. I am saying this because I have seen and experienced it in my own job. A lot of times people are referred to me and once they discover that the Moyo they heard about was a woman, show signs of dissatisfaction. This is mostly from men. They seem to think they cannot get anything professional from a woman. So, every time that happens, I make sure that I do the particular job, to my best, to prove to them that women have the same capacity as men. That’s the challenge for women: to be appreciated, we have to do a little bit extra. Mine is a challenging career but I wish more women joined me. Currently I am the only woman doing this here. The problem is lack of background in sciences and the young generation does not seem that much interested in this profession.
Any future plans?
I don’t have future plans; I will do this forever! And I will do it right in this country and probably at the College of Medicine. I help students with practicals, and if I had to leave, Government would struggle to get somebody to replace me. My goal in this profession is to facilitate a meaningful and memorable farewell that exceeds the family’s expectations, period.
How do you spend your free time?
I don’t really have a free time, I am on call everyday but when I am free I got to church, St Columba CCAP. At times I go to French Culture Centre and watch music shows but I rarely have free time. Most of the times I am tired and I sle
